Compared to...

Here we compare the D5000 to the other cameras that potential customers might also be considering. Since there is no direct predecessor model to the D5000, here we're comparing it to the D60 that sits below it in the model range and the D90 that sits above it. By doing so, we'll address the image quality differences that your money buys you.

The D5000 doesn't exist in isolation, of course: it was launched at around the same time as two cameras that clearly aim for the same customers - the Canon EOS 500D and Olympus E-620. Both are upper-entry-level cameras, offering impressive feature sets for relatively reasonable amounts of money. You don't get pentaprism viewfinders or alloy bodies at this price point but you do tend to get a lot of the technologies and features of the more expensive cameras in each manufacturer's line-ups. The D5000 sits between the other two, in terms of offered functions - it has the fold-out, swiveling LCD like the Olympus but also offers movie capability, like the Canon EOS 500D (albeit at a lower resolution).

Camera

Kit
price

Live
view

LCD

Anti
Shake

Sensor (effective pixels)

Nikon D5000

$800

Yes

2.7" / 230k pixels

Lens option

12.3 MP CMOS (1.5x crop)

Canon EOS 500D

$895

Yes

3.0" / 920k pixels

Lens option

15.1 MP CMOS (1.6x crop)

Olympus E-620

$700

Yes

2.7" / 230k pixels

In-body

12.3 MP LiveMOS (2.0x crop)

Nikon D60

$530

No

2.5" / 230k pixels

Lens option

10.2 MP CCD (1.5x crop)

(Sony DSLR-A350)

$650

Yes

2.7" / 230k pixels

In-body

14.2 MP CCD (1.5x crop)

Nikon has made great inroads into the entry-level market in the past few years with its range of small, easy-to-use DSLRs. Modest specification and the limitations of not being able to autofocus some Nikon lenses didn't stop the D40, D40X and D60 being huge sales successes. The D5000 changes this formula - it's a bigger, more expensive camera with a more comprehensive feature set that has to be careful not to tread on the toes of the enthusiast-level D90. It may not stand out from its peers in terms of features but it also doesn't lag behind in many respects.

Had this camera been the first Nikon to dispense with the autofocus drive pin, we might have been more critical (this is an expensive enough camera that it's reasonable to expect some of the buyers to consider additional lenses), but the majority of popular third-party lenses are now available with built-in autofocus motors, so it's not the issue it might once have been.

Nikon D5000 advantages

11-point AF system (same as D90)

Longer continuous shooting in RAW

In-camera raw processing with preview

Swivel screen (also on E-620)

D5000 disadvantages

Biggest, heaviest camera here

No battery grip available

Restricted lens availability

Note: Because we do not yet have one, we have been unable to compare the D5000 to the Sony A380, which would fit fairly well in this company.